Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Senator for her question and acknowledge her very real commitment to young people across this nation that have mental health issues.

Today marks 10 years since headspace was established by the Howard government. The member for Sturt, Minister Pyne, was the minister responsible for establishing the model back in 2006, and Ryan Stokes served as the then fledgling organisation's inaugural chair. Today we acknowledge their instrumental roles in setting up what has become such a successful national organisation.

As Senator McKenzie highlighted in her question, I am very pleased to inform the Senate that today marks the inaugural National headspace Day. Headspace Day, to be held on 11 October every year, will be a new national day of awareness to promote access to youth-friendly mental health services for all young Australians no matter where they live. I think that is something that will be welcomed by all across the chamber.

The headspace network is so important for our young people, because around 560,000 children and adolescents are estimated to have mental illness and one in four young Australians aged 16 to 24 years will experience mental illness in any given year. That is something of which we are all acutely aware. Three-quarters of all mental illness manifests itself in people under the age of 25, and intervention early in life and at an early stage of illness can reduce the duration and impact of mental illness—